Never Underestimate A Black
by GlassCaseOfEmotion
Summary: Rodolphus learns the hard way that while Narcissa may not be as aggressive as her sisters, it doesn't mean she can't hold her own.


**Written for The Pairing One Hour Challenge/Hardest Challenge Ever II with the pairing Rodolphus/Narcissa and the prompt 'wand'.**

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She was the epitome of purity, everything about her symbolised innocence and beauty, from her flowing blonde hair to her impeccable wand work which never failed to arouse him. Some, mostly his father's generation, believed proper Pureblood women should only use magic sparingly and mainly as a last resort, that it was more of a male talent which females simply did not possess in enough quality and quantity to use without danger.

Rodolphus found this a rather out-dated notion. He knew all too well that the witches his age possessed magical talent and were not shy to show it, the Black sisters being the main examples. For months two of them had been the only witches to join Duelling Club, before slowly more filtered in.

The eldest, raven-haired Bellatrix, excelled in every subject and was not afraid to hide it for the sake of propriety. She was fast, much faster than most of the boys, but she was so very _masculine _in her aggressiveness.

Andromeda, the middle sister, had an uncanny knack for knowing what was coming, making her, too, a strong opponent. However, unlike Bellatrix, no one ever seemed to lose to Andromeda. Her duels always ended in a stalemate as she deflected spell after spell, too focused on defence to mount a victorious attack.

Narcissa was different. She had staunchly refused to join, even as her sisters held their own and recruited more of Slytherin in their quest to prove women could hold their own against a supposedly stronger male opponent. Rodolphus had come across her in the common room one evening when a shoulder injury had prevented him from attending. She sat by the fire, bending over a roll of parchment, her eyebrows knitted together in thought. The firelight lit up her pale face and danced in her eyes and drew him in like a moth.

"May I join you?" he asked smoothly, though his heart beat faster. She looked up and after a moment's pause, nodded.

"Why aren't you with your friends?" he asked as she set her quill down. Good manners dictated she couldn't ignore him after all.

"I have no interest in learning to fight," she replied, and he could see the disapproval in her expression, "I have much more important things to concern myself with."

He reclined on the sofa lazily, "Such as?"

She hesitated again. "I have to work on my studies."

"That's what lessons are for. Aren't you any good?" he asked, baiting her.

"Of course I am," she snapped before calming herself. The fire crackled loudly in the grate and sent their shadows dancing across the room.

"Prove it," Rodolphus said.

A little flustered, Narcissa replied, "What do you mean?"

He gave a shrug then withdrew his wand and flicked it in the direction of her homework, which leapt up as though alive and began to whiz around the room. Narcissa sprang to her feet.

"Stop it at once!" she demanded, "I mean it! I- I order you to stop! Oh you brute!" The parchment, on its last lap of the common room, changed direction and sped into the fire where it promptly began to blacken and curl.

Smirking, though he felt a little guilty at the sheen of tears in her eyes, Rodolphus rose to his feet with the intention of apologising but before he could voice the words, she had suddenly produced her own wand.

An almighty _bang! _ echoed around the room and he felt himself shrinking and changing shape. In a panic, he tried to reach for his own wand, only to realise he had no hands, or arms for that matter. He tried to speak, but instead of words all he emitted was a high-pitched squeal. Above him, Narcissa was looking down with a victorious smile.

"Now your appearance matches your personality," she said loftily, before sweeping out, leaving a bewildered looking pig wearing a green and silver tie behind her.

And so started his fixation with Narcissa Black.


End file.
